The Billionaire Backing a Tech Solution to Water Access

India’s economic growth over the last 30 years is astounding, but there is a way to go before the benefits filter through to the poorest in society. A number of major stumbling blocks stand in the way of universal economic growth and until these are overcome India will not truly fulfil its potential.

Nowhere is this clearer than with water. One in 10 Indians lack access to a clean water supply and there are 1,600 daily deaths owing to water contamination. … One of India’s most famous billionaire businessmen, Ajay Piramal, is financing the countering of these issues by backing technology and social enterprise-led approaches. …

Piramal’s solution to lack of clean water is technology-driven and market-led. He financed a start-up called Sarvajal (which means ‘water for all’ in Sanskrit), which delivers purified drinking water through a network of solar-powered, cloud-connected, pay-as-you-go ATM-style dispensers. Priced for those ‘at the bottom of the pyramid’, they currently have more than 377,000 daily customers across 15 states.